St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Gosberton
Lots of churches have rood screens, which were a feature dating back to late medieval times.
What is a Rood Screen?
The rood screen was a decorative screen which separated the nave from the chancel, and had a central gate. Most were pierced with a lattice work of carved wood and richly decorated.
Sitting on top of screen is a rood. A rood is a carved image of Christ on the cross, made of wood or stone (the name ‘rood’ derives from the Saxon word rod or rode, meaning a cross). The figures of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist are on either side of Jesus.
The rood screen had several functions. Its primary role was to demarcate spaces of lesser and greater holiness More prosaically, the rood screen formed a legal demarcation between the nave, which was the responsibility of the parishioners, and the chancel, which was reserved for the clergy. That said, the rood screen here in St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church is not situated between the nave and the chancel, but instead separates the south transept from the Lady Chapel.
How old is the Rood Screen?
The original parts of the wooden screen are medieval, but have undergone some restoration, most significantly in 1915, during World War One, when Belgian refugees billeted in Spalding carved a new rood for the top of the screen. This work was commissioned by the parishioners as a memorial to their late Vicar, Rev. Edgar Torr Hudson, who was Vicar of Gosberton from 1896 to 1905, and who had overseen much restoration work in the church during his ministry. The design of the rood was by Mr. Walter Tapper, A.R.I.B.A., of St. John’s Wood, London. The full cost was £35 and was paid for by Mr. Edward. E. Welby-Everard, of Gosberton House.
Some restoration of the screen itself had previously been undertaken in 1896/7 under Reverend Hudson’s stewardship.
